The Hero of Hyrule
by Kenzi333
Summary: Link isn't allowed in Castle Town under any circumstances. He's to stay in Ordon Village for the rest of his life. But despite his uncle's strict rules, he befriends a secretive Sheikah and ventures into Castle Town many times. But there's a reason he's banned from Castle Town. And it has to do with the disappearance of his parents, a dangerous prisoner, and his destiny as a Hero.
1. Prologue

**Hey all! This is my third Zelda fanfic, since my Percy Jackson fanfic has come to a standstill. I'm pretty excited about this one! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my groove and finish this one! Be sure to check out my other Zelda fanfics if you like this one, they're all finished! And the T rating is because I'm wary of action, no language or adult situations here! And be sure to review! Thanks all!**

~Prologue~

"Please Cody, you have to do this for us."

"And I will, I care for the boy just as much as you do. But what I don't understand is why you have to leave. Taylor, what's going on? Are you in trouble?"

His brother paused. "Yes. I am. Ganondorf's after me."

Cody stared incredulously at him. "What did you do?"

Taylor shook his head. "I had a son."

Cody raised his eyebrows. "Link? What do you mean? I thought Link was the best thing that happened to you since Marni."

"He is."

"Then what did you do? How did you even meet him?"

"I told you, I had a son." Taylor explained. "Ganondorf is after Link."

"Why?"

Taylor sighed. "That comes in how I met him.

"You know that the Royal Family keeps guard over ancient papers and prophesies. There are hundreds of them, and since I'm one of their highest ranking guards, I get to see them. They're all in Ancient Hylian, so lots of the papers are still in translation. They often enlisted my help with desiphering them. That's how I met Ganondorf.

"Back before Ganondorf was revealed as a traitor, he and I worked on translating about twenty different papers. There's one in particular that caught Ganondorf's eye. It talks of ancient heroes who saved Hyrule time and time again, and how a hero would always come whenever Hyrule was in danger. These gorgeous illustrations showed the heroes fighting off demons and saving the Princess. The primary villain of the stories is... strangely like Ganondorf. The princesses of the stories are remarkably like the young Princess Zelda, some even share her name.

"Ganondorf believes that he's a reincarnation of the villain and Zelda's a reincarnation of the Princess. I didn't know at the time, but he was desperately trying to find the reincarnation of the Hero. Whoever it is would be the prime contender for his downfall. The more time we spent working with each other, the more I trusted him. He noticed that I slightly resembled the Hero, and he began asking me questions about my family, thinking that maybe I was the Hero. I told him all about Marni, you and Link. Link especially caught his attention. I began to get suspicious when he started asking more and more questions about Link. And when Marni and Link came to see me at work one day, Ganondorf saw Link. And now, he'll do anything to kill Link because he no longer thinks I'm the Hero's reincarnation, he thinks it's Link.."

"He's mad!" Cody exclaimed.

Taylor ran a hand through his unruly blond hair. "To tell the truth, the more I think about it, the more I believe it. That's why I need you to do this. Because of me, Ganondorf knows about him. I've put Marni, Link and my own life at risk by trusting him. He'll kill Link, you know that. Then he'll move on to Marni and make me watch it all." He hit the wall in frustration. "Cody, this is my wife and son. They are my everything, and now because of my stupid mistake they could die."

Cody put a comforting arm on his younger brother's shoulder. "Tay, it wasn't your fault. Ganondorf deceived us all. But he can't hurt you now, he's in the dungeons at Hyrule Castle. You're safe."

"No, I don't think we are." Taylor's deep brown eyes were clouded over with worry. "Just because he's in prison, doesn't mean people don't still work from him. He'll be back. A prison cell can't keep him from what he wants. And he wants Link's blood. Ganondorf will be looking for me, he knows that I can't be too far away from Link. He thinks I can lead him to him. But he's wrong." He paused. "Marni and I will have to have to keep a low profile. We'll hide in Kakariko Village and disguise ourselves as Sheikah." He looked pained. "...And you'll take Link to Ordon Village."

"But, Tay, why don't you just take Link with you to Kakariko? Raise him as a Sheikah, he'd be safe and you and Marni would be able to raise him. Or just stay here and live a normal life?"

Taylor looked out the window to where his wife and son were playing in the fountain. He smiled as Link giggled and splashed his mother. Link was an almost exact copy of him, except for his eyes. They were his mother's, along with a good dose of her kind and generous nature. But also he inherited some of his father's recklessness and rebellious streak. Taylor wanted with all his heart to raise him, to watch him grow up. But he knew that if he wanted Link to be safe, he couldn't have any contact with him for the next few years.

"Cody, taking Link with us will be just what he wants. And staying here in Castle Town would be like a mouse running into a mouse trap. It has to be this way. If Ganondorf discovers Marni and I, Link will still be safe. And I doubt he'll look for him in Ordon. He'll search in villages far away, not just a few miles from Castle Town. Link will be safe there."

Cody stared sadly at Taylor. "Does Marni know?"

"Of course. Why do you think she's out there playing with him? Trying to get a few more moments with him." He turned back to Cody. "Thank you for doing this. You're the only person I'd trust with him."

"What are brothers for?"

"We'll leave tomorrow. We need to get out of the area as soon as possible. Make up any excuse you can think of to tell everyone why we left."

Cody sighed deeply. It hurt him to see his brother so sad. It was a stark contrast to the boy Taylor used to be. As kids, he was always the one who never listened and always got into trouble. And he did it all with that happy-go-lucky, sarcastic smile. But now, he was the one taking responsibility, and his lips were instead twisted in a frown. "Of course, Tay."

Taylor attempted at a smile and walked out the door. He made his way to his wife and son. Marni looked up at him, the fake smile that she had put on for Link's sake vanished from her face. She made her way to him and he embraced her tightly. Link continued to giggle and splash around in the water, oblivious to the danger he was in.

"I don't want to leave him." Marni whispered through her tears.

Taylor kissed her forehead. "I don't either. But we'll see him again one day. It'll be okay Marni. I promise."

The next day, the couple bid a tearful farewell to their only son, and seemed to disappear from the face of the earth.


	2. Chapter 1

~Chapter One~

~14 Years Later~

"Happy birthday, Link."

Cody sits the misshapen cake in front of me. I grin widely at his attempt. Cody is anything but a baker, but it was really nice of him to try for me. Today, at exactly eight o'clock, I'm going to be 18. Not that it really matters, it's not like Cody's going to let me out of the village. I'm trapped here for the rest of my life.

"So, the big 18th. What do you want as your present?" Cody asks as he puts a piece of the cake on a plate for me.

_I want out of here._ I think. Cody is good to me, I'm really thankful for him. But whenever I ask him why I can't venture to Castle Town he always answers with the same response: "Your mother and father didn't want you venturing out of the village. They didn't want you getting hurt." When I was younger, I understood that and left it alone. But by the time I turned 12, I started to feel like he was keeping something from me. I was old enough to go to Castle Town, there were 8 year-olds in Ordon that were going alone, why couldn't I? But he put his foot down.

But that was the year I made my first trip to Castle Town, thanks to a certain Sheikah.

But instead of telling him I want to leave, I answer, "I'd really like a new saddle for Epona. The one she has on right now's getting really frayed."

He nods. "I can do that. I'll talk to Kipp about it."

"Thanks."

He ruffles my hair. "Anything for the wittle birthday boy." I swat his hand away and dig into the cake.

I study Cody as he sits across from me. He's a lot like me, lean and fit with a playful smile. He has a few gray hairs mixed in with his dark hair, but he's definitely not old. He's what I imagine what my dad was like, even though he tells me that they were like night and day when they were younger. My dad had my blond hair and brown eyes, a contrast to Cody's black hair and electric blue eyes. And apparently, I look exactly like my dad, but I have my mother's eyes. I have both of my parents attitude, kind and rebellious. But that's really all I know about my parents. Each year, I get a little more information about them. And this year, I'm aiming for the highest goal: Why they disappeared.

I've tried to find out the exact reason ever since I was 9. I know Cody knows, but for some reason he refuses to admit it. He says they just mysteriously disappeared one day. But he's not the best liar in the world.

I clear my throat. "So, do I look any more like my dad this year?"

"Link, you've been his exact copy since you were 2 years old." He laughs.

"I know, but do I look even more like him this year?"

He sighs. "Sure Link, you look exactly like him when he was 18."

I pause. I have to do this carefully, try to trick him into answering. "Speaking of my parents, I found some of Dad's old boots yesterday. They fit me."

"That's good. You can wear them now."

"Yeah that's what I was thinking." Pause again. "Why didn't he take them with him?"

"I don't know."

"He must have gone to someplace where they don't need boots."

He raises his eyebrows. "He had other boots Link."

I sigh and give up. I had a whole series of questions planned out, but there's no use in trying them if he knows what I'm doing. He may be getting gray hairs, but Cody's anything but stupid.

He notices my defeated features and shakes his head. "Link, how many times do I need to tell you? I don't know what happened to them. I wish just as much as you do that I did know, and that I could get them to come back. But I don't."

I can tell that he's telling the truth that he wants them back, but there's that slight twitch of his left eye that tells me he's lying. It's a family trait apparently, I have it, and so did Dad. And he knows I know he's lying. So why won't he tell me the truth?

But I'm tired of trying to get him to explain, so I drop it and we talk about fishing instead.

Twenty minutes later the cake's almost gone and Cody's yawning.

"Well I'm going to bed." He stretches and yawns again. "What are you thinking you're going to do?"

I gulp. "Bed." I answer, even though I know for a fact I won't be sleeping tonight.

"Okay," He smiles and ruffles my hair again. "See you in the morning birthday boy."

"Night." I respond as he walks upstairs.

I slowly walk to my bedroom and loudly close the door. I wait in darkness until I'm sure he's asleep, I'm old enough that he never comes in to check on me. I quietly walk out the door and, as an afterthought, grab the rest of my cake. He told me he was fond of chocolate.

I shrug on a cloak, the deep cowls hiding my face and making me feel invisible. Then I slip out the front door into the warm night. I walk to the stable and wake Epona. She neighs softly as I saddle her and mount. She's not used to late night excursions.

Me and him planned this trip three months ago when he came to visit. I've only been to Castle Town four times, but it's his second home and he's always pushing for us to visit. He knows how trapped I feel, I think he has the same problem at his home, and he looks out for me in the bustling city. But those four times were when Cody was out-of-town or fishing with Nathan, and they weren't any longer than about three hours. But tonight, I'm going when Cody expects me to be sleeping and we're planning on being there for the whole night. Tonight's a celebration in Castle Town. I share my birthday with Princess Zelda, and the residents of Castle Town are planning on a big celebration with fireworks in honor of it. He persuaded me to come tonight as celebration for my birthday.

I ride Epona out of Ordon, praying that no one sees me. But the village's deserted and I quickly make it to Faron Woods undetected.

I scan the shadows for his half-hidden face of my friend. He must not be here yet. I sit myself on a rock and pull out a piece of the cake, nibbling on it while waiting for his appearance. I wait for about ten minutes before I hear a slight rustling in the tree above me and chuckle to myself.

"Why do you always insist on doing that?" I ask.

"Doing what?" A deep, monotone voice answers from above me.

"Being a Sheikah."

"That may be because I am a Sheikah, Link." He drops to the ground in front of me, his blood-red eyes glowing above the scarf he uses to hide half his face.

"Just because you're a Sheikah doesn't mean you need to make me wait for ten minutes while you lounge up in a tree, Sheik, when I brought you a treat." I throw a piece of cake to him.

"What's this?" He asks, holding it up for inspection.

"What do you think it is? It's my chocolate birthday cake." I take another bite of mine.

"Chocolate?" I can hear the slight excitement in his usually expressionless voice. He must never get chocolate. "Thanks." I wait for a moment in expectation for him to take of his scarf and take a bite, but he puts it in a pocket for later. I shouldn't have expected him to, Sheik has never taken that scarf off in the 6 years I've known him. Funny that he's my best friend and I don't even know what his face looks like.

Sheik and I met when we were 12 years old. I had snuck out and was riding Epona around Faron Woods. He had the same idea. We crashed into each other and instantly became best friends. I've always wondered why he kept the scarf on. When I first met him, I thought it was because his face was deformed. But he told me that it was because he didn't like people looking at him. I still sometimes think somethings wrong with his face though.

"Ready to go?" He asks.

I gulp again. What if Cody finds out I left? He'd kill me, that's for sure. He'd never let me out of his sight again.

Sheik studies me with concern. "Link, if you're worried Cody's going to catch you, then we don't have to do this."

"No." I answer quickly. "Sheik, I want to do this. If I stay here any longer I'll crack. I need a break."

He nods, and once again I get the idea that he goes through the same exact thing. "Then let's go celebrate your birthday."


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! Ashlee S, I've read the Ocarina of Time (part one and two), Skyward Sword and Link to the Past mangas and I'm on the Oracle of Seasons, but I have yet to get to the Four Swords one. Everyone tells me it's awesome, so when I read it, I'll strongly keep a fanfic about it in mind! And 1esor2, I don't want to say anything either, but you _may_ be right :). Thanks all!**

~Chapter Two~

Sheik and I ride across Hyrule, exchanging stories about our lives for the past three months since I've seen him. He's had lone absences before, but this one was unusually long. He says that he was busy, and I believe that, but he refuses to tell me what he was doing. That's a Sheikah for you, I hate how secretive he is.

Castle Town is about fifteen minutes away from Ordon, so we have plenty of time to talk, and I'm determined to get him to tell me what he was doing.

"Did you take some kind of trip?" I ask.

"No, I told you, I was just busy."

"With what?"

"Nothing in particular." He shrugs.

Even though Sheik's the master of lying, him being a Sheikah, I know he's keeping something from me. "You know I'm just going to pester you until you tell me, so you might as well tell me right now."

Sheik sighs and shakes his head. "You're so stinking persistent."

"That's what they tell me." I suddenly get an idea to his lying. "Hey, is there any chance a girl is involved in this?"

He tenses. "No." He says a little too quick. I can make out the bright red of his face through his scarf. He always acts this way when I mention girls. "No no no. No girl. No girl whatsoever."

I smile triumphantly and lean forward in the saddle. "There _is_ a girl isn't there?" I practically yell.

Sheik shakes his head furiously in response, his sandy blond hair whipping his face.

"What's her name? Where does she live? What does she look like? How old is she? Is she a Sheikah? Do I know her?" I say rapid-fire.

"I told you, there _is _no girl!" He prompts his horse, Shade, to go faster. But Epona and I catch up.

"Is it the girl from last time?" I ask, a mischievous glint in my eye. "Is _she_ the reason you want to go to Castle Town tonight?"

On our last excursion to Castle Town there was this one girl, maybe a few years younger than us, who took an instant liking to Sheik. She followed us around and insisted Sheik taste all her pastries. She wouldn't leave him alone. He hated her the minute he saw her. I know for a fact that she's the reason we haven't gone back for two years.

His crimson eyes heat with annoyance. "No, I hate her and I hope she dies a painful death." He states simply. "Link, I promise I'm not dating anyone."

"Then why were you gone for so long?"

He sighs. "Link, I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

"You can't? Who says?"

"I just... can't. Trust me on this one Link, it's not important. Just forget it."

"It probably is important if it's such a secret." I mutter under my breath.

"There's Castle Town." Sheik says. He nudges Shade into a fast gallop and Epona and I follow suit.

I forget about Sheik dodging my questions when we enter the capital city of Hyrule. It glows brightly in the night, and hundreds of sights and smells assault me, almost knocking off Epona. I'm always shocked by how different it is from Ordon. The city's bursting with energy, people of all ages run around the streets in a rush. Somewhere in the crowd a band plays upbeat music. You can feel the anticipation in the air for the Princess's celebration. The water in the fountain in the middle of the square sparkles in the light. I smell apples, warm bread and the perfume of roses. As an undertone I can also smell the spice of pumpkin soup. And the main centerpiece of it all is Hyrule's Golden Palace.

The castle is lit up and shines like polished silver. All the lights on inside are on and the grounds are beautifully kept. I think the roses in the gardens are what I'm smelling, they're really beautiful.

"My favorite are the red ones." Sheik says.

"Mine too." I answer.

We hand over our horses to the stables for the night, paying ten rupees each. We each get a bottle of pumpkin soup and make our way to the Observation Deck to get ready for the fireworks.

"What time do they start?" I ask, taking a drink. We sit on the edge of the deck, sipping our soups.

"Eleven o'clock. About five minutes." Sheik replies, unraveling his scarf just enough to take a drink but not enough for me to see the rest of his face. Darn it, so close.

"Hey," I say. "I just realized. I've been 18 for the last two hours and fifty-five minutes."

Sheik raises his bottle. "Huzzah."

I clink my bottle against his and take another long drink of the warm, sweet soup.

I try again to probe at Sheik's defenses. "You know, you have yet to tell me, your best friend, when _your_ birthday is."

"I don't really care about birthdays, particularly my own." He stares at the people down below us. "It just means your another year closer to dying."

"Yikes. That was a good way to ruin my birthday." I sigh inwardly at his secretiveness.

He glances at me with amused eyes. "My apologies birthday boy."

"I swear if one more person calls me that today, I'm going to pour my soup down their backs."

Sheik laughs as the fireworks burst through the night.

The colors are so bright that at first they burn my retinas. Blues and greens and reds dance across the sky. This is only my second time ever seeing fireworks, the first being during the mayor's birthday celebration. I love them. The whole show lasts for about 20 minutes, and I enjoy every minute of it. Sheik and I yell nonsense as loud as we can every time a firework bangs, seeing if anyone will notice.

When the last firework fades in the sky, Sheik and I are laughing our heads off at some woman who looked up in alarm when we yelled that we murdered the mayor during the last firework. She's looking all over the crowd for the source of the voices, but doesn't have the common sense to look up. We're only a few feet up. Suddenly, Sheik looks up in alarm.

"Oh my gosh, what time is it?" He asks.

I glance at the clock tower. "Almost eleven-thirty. Why?"

He scrambles to his feet. "I've got to go. I'll be right back, promise."

Before I can protest or ask him where he's going, he's gone. I sigh in frustration and shake my head. Why does he feel the need to keep secrets from me? I take another drink of the soup.

A fanfare rings out. "Announcing, the Crown Princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda."

The crowd claps as a young girl my age walks out of the castle, she's breathing heavily, as though she's been running. But she recomposes herself quickly and flashes a brilliant smile at her people.

My jaw drops and I choke on my soup. This woman is beautiful, the most beautiful I've ever seen. Sure, I've seen pretty girls before, but they pale in comparison to the Princess of Hyrule.

Her long golden hair falls gently down her back, framing her lovely face. Her sapphire eyes sparkle in the light, and her pink lips are tilted up in an enchanting smile. Her graceful figure is framed by a light pink dress that emphasizes her eyes. A golden tiara embedded with jewels rests on her head.

...I think I'm in love.

I've heard stories about Zelda, but this is my first time seeing her in person. I hear she's a very kind and generous person and a strong supporter to the people. She's to be crowned Queen on her 20th birthday, following in her parents footsteps. The people are looking forward to many years of peace under her rule. I can see why.

Behind her walks a tall Sheikah woman, who I'm told is her guardian. She never leaves her side. I think her name is Impa.

Zelda walks through the crowd, shaking hands and thanking everyone for the wonderful celebration. The smile never leaves her face. She's a good people person. I find myself leaning forward as she gets closer.

Then she looks up in my direction, almost as if she knows I'm up here. Our eyes make contact and I find it hard to breathe. Her face takes on an expression that tells me she wasn't supposed to do that. She quickly averts her eyes and continuing walking. I can breathe again.

She stays for a few more fireworks, mingling with her subjects and laughing happily. I can't seem to pull my eyes away from her. She's so full of life, she almost seems to radiate more light then the fireworks.

As the fireworks end she whispers urgently to Impa. Impa then glances up in my direction. Uh oh. What did I do now? She then nods at the Princess and Zelda quickly makes her way back to the castle, smiling at people and thanking them once more. She's in a big hurry. To get away from me it seems. Great, did I do something wrong?

My body moves on its own accord, my legs pushing me up and my hands setting the bottle on the ground. Then my legs get this crazy idea that they want to follow the Princess. The sane part of my brain screams no but my legs don't listen, and suddenly I'm running down the steps and after the Princess. The insane part of my brain really wants to see the Princess one last time before I go back to Ordon. My hands push through the crowd and I get to the castle gates quickly. That's when the sane part of my brain laughs at the insane part for being stupid because there are guards at the gate. I can't get in.

But then I notice a crack in the wall. It's just barely big enough for me to get through. No one's looking. The insane part gets an evil grin.

Uh oh.

I'm slipping through the crack before I know what I'm doing, silently laughing at the guards' ignorance. I slip through the gardens, narrowly avoiding the guards. I have no idea where I'm going, and just hope that I'll make it out of here alive. I want to go back to wait for Sheik, but Zelda's like a magnet. For some reason, I _have_ to see her.

But within seconds I'm hopelessly lost, winding through the gardens with no sense of direction. What would happen if I took the left path? Does that lead to the moat or the stables? I don't know.

Just when I think I'm going to die here and my body will be lost forever, I run into the last person I would've expected to see here.

I run head first into Sheik.

"Link?" Sheik asks in shock.

"Sheik? What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Um," I rub the back of my neck guiltily. "Following the Princess."

Sheik raises his eyebrow. "Why?"

I shrug defensively. "Have you seen her? I couldn't help it. I just wanted to see her up close. Maybe wish her a happy birthday..."

Sheik's eyes twinkle with amusement. "And you accused me of having a crush."

"Let's just drop it okay? It never happened." I say. "Now your turn, what are you doing here?"

Sheik hesitates, but before he can answer two guards walk around the corner.

"Come on." He whispers and pulls me behind a bush.

We hold our breath until the guards leave. I motion for him to go on.

"It's not really that important-" He begins.

"Yes, it is." I interrupt. "Please Sheik. For once, just tell me the truth."

He sees the pleading look in my eyes and sighs. "Okay. I was talking to the Princess's guardian, Impa."

I raise my eyebrow. "Why?"

"She's a Sheikah, I was just asking how things were back home."

Oh that makes sense. I nod. "Why were in such a hurry?"

"I knew she was only going to be down there for a few minutes, I had to hurry."

"Okay. Thanks Sheik."

He smiles. "No problem, birthday boy."

"Ugh, don't call me that." I laugh. "So how are we going to get out of here."

Sheik walks out into the night. "We slip out a secret tunnel and we're back to Ordon in fifteen minutes. Cody'll never know."

I grin and clap him on the back. "Thanks for tonight Sheik. It was really fun."

He grins back. "Yeah, it was wasn't it?"

We slip back into the crowd and stop to buy a chocolate muffin and get our horses. As I mount Epona, I glance over at a desolate corner for some reason. And what's there disturbs me a bit. A large man in a cloak stares right back at me, his huge muscles and orange-red eyes cutting me to the bone. He's staring directly at me. He looks like he hates me. The back of my right hand begins to burn.

"Link? You ready?" Sheik calls.

I blink. The man turns from me and walks the other way. I turn and nudge Epona into the direction Sheik rides, and we gallop out of Castle Town.


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm guessing that Princess of Time is Ashlee S, right? Do I get a virtual cake? :D  
**

**Thanks so much for the reviews everyone!**

~Chapter Three~

_I stand in front of Hyrule Castle. It's a stark contrast to how it was during Zelda's celebration. It looks gray and depressing, matching the gloomy weather. It looks abandoned. The trees have no leaves, and look like they've been struck by lightning. And the rose garden is bare, dry weeds choking the ground, except for one gorgeous red rose. I walk over to it, determined to save it from dying, but it turns midnight black in front of my eyes, eventually withering and dying._

_Castle Town doesn't look any better, it's just as sad and abandoned as the castle. It makes me sad._

_Suddenly, soft footsteps echo throughout the city, getting closer to me. I turn around to see a cloaked figure walking towards me, head turned down. But it isn't the man I saw during the celebration. Whoever it is, I feel like they won't hurt me. On the contrary, I feel like I need to protect the figure._

_The figure looks up, and her face takes on a surprised look. I'm just as surprised to see the beautiful Princess in such a sad place. Her features seem to light up the area with color._

_"Link?" Zelda asks. How does she know my name?  
_

_"It worked." She whispers more to herself than me. What worked? She looks me in the eye. Her eyes are so beautiful. "Link, listen to me. I only have a few moments. A prisoner has escaped the dungeons. He's very, very dangerous, the whole city is terrified. The last time he was seen was near Ordon. I think he may be after you. He's been whispering your name for the last few months, and for what ever reason he wants you dead. And I'm pretty sure he knows exactly where you are. You and Cody need to get out of Ordon, immediately. He'll kill you Link."_

_"Where do you want me to go?" I ask, surprised that I'm able to speak._

_She bites her lip in thought for a moment, then gets an idea. "Kakariko Village. You'll be safe there."_

_I nod._

_The dream changes._

_I stand in the desert, the sand and wind whipping my face. I cough as the grit finds its way into my lungs. A harsh laugh sounds out around me.  
_

_"So you're the Chosen Hero?" The voice says mockingly. "You're just like your father." He knew my father?_

_Another figure emerges from the dust storm. My breath catches in my throat. This time, the cloaked figure isn't Zelda, it's the man from Castle Town. His eyes swirl with hatred directed at me.  
_

_"You and your precious princess don't stand a chance against me." The figure snarls. "I will be the first to defeat the almighty Hero."_

_The dream shifts once again._

_I stand in the Lost Woods, light streaming through the trees. Birds chirp and I can smell the pinewood. I love these woods. They're close enough to Ordon that Cody's never minded me spending most of my day out there. Me and Epona go for rides, I practice my archery and sword skills, and sometimes I just go for long walks. Being here makes me feel free._

_"Hello Link."_

_I turn around in surprise to find an elegant woman in green standing beside a tree. _

_She smiles at me. "It has been a long time since we last stood face to face."  
_

_"I know you?" I ask. She nods._

_That's when I get a hazy memory of me walking through the forest. I was maybe 5 or 6. When I turned around, I saw a woman I didn't know smiling at me. The same woman who stands in front of me now. At first I thought she was my mother, but before I could ask her any questions, she was gone._

_The back of my hand begins to burn._

_"The ancient power inside of you is awakening." She says. "The time has come for you to rise to your destiny of being a hero."_

_"Who are you?" I ask._

_She smiles. "I am Farore, goddess of courage. And you, Link, are my Chosen." I begin to ask another question but she silences me with a finger. "What Nayru's Chosen, your princess, told you is correct. Din's Chosen, Ganondorf, is once again coming for you. I am afraid your parents' attempt at keeping you safe has done nothing to stop the former Gerudo King. He will kill you Link."  
_

_"My parents? They knew he was after me?"_

_Farore nods sadly. "Yes, child. That is why they left. To keep you hidden."_

_"How does leaving me keep me hidden?" I ask, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. It surprises me. I've never felt angry at my parents before. __It sounds stupid to admit it, but__ even though I know Cody knows why they left it never really occurred to me that they left intentionally. I thought maybe they didn't have a choice. But they did. If they had wanted to keep me safe, why didn't they take me with them?  
_

_"Ask them when you see them." The goddess tells me._

_It takes a full minute for her words to take affect on me._

_My parents are alive?_

_I know that should make me feel happy, overjoyed really, and it does. I've dreamed about meeting my parents since I was a kid. All these years, I haven't known whether or not they were alive, and now Farore's telling me I'm going to see them soon. I am glad, but at the same time it fans my anger. They've been alive for all these years, and not once have they come to see me or even tried to make contact?_

_She sees the conflict of emotion on my face and smiles sympathetically. "Do not judge them to harshly child, they have their reasons for not contacting you. They love you deeply, and all their actions have only been to keep you safe."_

_Suddenly, harsh laughter rings out through the forest. The same laughter of the man in the cloak._

_Farore's eyes go wide. "He is here."_

I wake up in a cold sweat, my breathing ragged. What kind of a dream was that? It was so vivid, I felt like I was actually there.

And something tells me that I was.

I let my breathing slow down and I'm about to go back to bed when I remember Zelda and Farore's warning.

_"He is here."_

I jump out of bed and run upstairs. Why am I so worried about something that happened in a dream?

Because it wasn't just a dream. It was real.

A storm is raging outside, thunder booming with a powerful crack and lightning filling the room with white light. Rain pounds on the exterior of the house. And in it, I can hear the cloaked man's laughter.

"Cody!" I burst into his room.

Cody sits up abruptly. "What? What? I'm here. You need a bandage or fairy tears?" He slurs sleepily.

"Something's really, really wrong."

"So... fairy tears?"

"No, Cody, I'm fine. But in a few seconds you and me are not going to be fine."

He blinks his bleary eyes. "What d'ya mean?"

I bite my lip. I'm going to have to tell him about Sheik and Castle Town, and when I do he's not going to be harmless, sleepy Cody anymore. And I'll have to come to terms that I betrayed his trust in me and lied to his face. "Um... Ganondorf's coming..."

He suddenly looks wide awake. He springs from the bed and runs over to me. He grabs both of my shoulders. "Tell me what happened." He whispers in an urgent voice.

His fierce blue eyes draw a confession from me. I stumble through how Sheik and I met, and all of our visits to Castle Town, ending with the one just a few hours ago, and how I met the cloaked man. I then tell him about my strange dreams, enforcing the part about Mom and Dad being alive. He suddenly looks 90 years old.

"Cody... I'm so sorry." I say with a choked voice. "I really am. It's just that... I'm 18 years old. I felt trapped here, I needed to get out. And not just to the Lost Woods, I needed human contact other than people I've known since I was 4. But I really am-"

"No Link, I'm sorry." Cody interrupts in a weary voice. "I knew I wouldn't be able to keep you here for much longer. I knew that when you became a teenager. I was just trying to keep to your parents' wishes." He smiles. "But that's the problem. You're too much like your dad. He never would've put up with staying here for so long. And as for your Sheikah friend, I've been suspecting his existence ever since you were 15 and talked to a bush for three and half hours. I'm guessing he was behind it, right?"

My cheeks heat up and I nod. I knew he would notice that. We should've gone into the Lost Woods instead.

He smiles and claps my back softly. "Link, I'm not happy that you went behind my back. But you're forgiven. To tell the truth I expected you'd do it sometime. You're definetly Taylor's son."

I grin at the comparison. Then, I decide that now's a good of a time as ever to ask him what he knows about my parents leaving. "Cody, about what Farore said about Mom and Dad... I know you know, and I might as well know if she says I'm going to see them soon..."

He nods. "Yeah, I knew that would come up. I know everything about your parents leaving, I'm one of the handful of people they told. I was happy to take you." He ruffles my hair. "You really are so much like Taylor. But Marni's in you too."

"But... where did they go?"

He laughs ruefully. "Closer than you'd think. And it's actually a coincidence with your dream. They went to-"

Before he can finish a loud crash comes from downstairs. He and I both gasp and whirl around.

"What was that?" I ask.

Cody's face is grim. "From what you've told me, it's Ganondorf." He turns to me, his face dead serious. "Link, go, now. There's a secret hatch in the closet, you can get out that way. Go to Kakariko, like Zelda said. I'll meet you there."

"Wait, back up you'll meet me there?" I ask. "No, either you're going with me right now or I'm staying here with you."

"Link, don't be an idiot!" The force in his anxious voice surprises me. "This isn't a game, Ganondorf wants you dead, and he won't hesitate to do it. I'll stall him, he doesn't want me so odds are he won't kill me."

"Isn't this Ganondorf the ex-Gerudo King? The guy who betrayed all of Hyrule and almost killed us all?" He nods. "Well if he killed hundreds of innocent Hylians, Zoras, Kokiri, Sheikah, Gorons, Mogma, Oocca, and Gerudo, his own race, what makes you think he won't kill you?"

"I don't. All I know is that your father didn't give up his job and identity to protect you only to have you get killed by the man he was protecting you from."

Another crash comes from downstairs, closer this time. I hear harsh yelling. Is that him?

I look at Cody. I can't talk. He's put up with me for 14 years, he's been like a dad to me. How can I just leave him to die?

He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Go Link, tell your folks I said hi."

I bite back tears. I haven't cried since I was 8. "Cody... thank you... for everything."

"You're welcome, kid. Go!" He pushes me into the closet and slams the door.

I frantically search the floor for the hatch. Come on, come on...

There it is! I pry it open and slip through it. I drop down into a musty, pitch-black tunnel. I stumble along the path, painfully aware of the yelling coming from Cody's room. I guess Ganondorf's found him.

The tunnel ends up leading to the stable, right into Epona's pen. She neighs in surprise at my sudden appearance. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. This is the second time tonight I've come in here, what's going on?

I quickly saddle her up and mount, prompting here to get out of the stable as fast as she can. She rips out of the stable. As she does I can here the garbled speech of Moblins alerting Ganondorf of me escaping. I push Epona faster. Kakariko Village is fifteen minutes from here. Am I going to make it? I can here Moblins mounting their horses and riding after me. I have to try.

Fifteen minutes later, I can see the Sheikah village in front of me. I can make it.

But when I'm within a few feet from it, I cry out in pain as an arrow grazes my arm. I grimace as a warm trickle of blood slides down my arm. Okay... OW! My breath begins coming in ragged and my vision goes in and out of focus. It was only a small cut, why do I feel like my heart's stopping? My breath catches in my throat as I look at the wound. The edge is turning a sickly green and yellow, it looks like it's infected. Poison. The arrow had poison on it.

The world blurs as I enter Kakariko. The Moblins stop at the gate, not daring to go up against the Sheikah.

As the poison flows through my veins, I slide off Epona and hit the ground. I'm too weak to stay on...

Sheikah yell all around me, ordering fire against the Moblins and help for me. A familiar pair of crimson eyes appears over me, and they're filled with rare emotion. Panic. Shock. Fear.

"Link!" Sheik yells. His voice gets fainter and fainter. "Hold on Link, I'll get you help..." His voice fades off. My vision dims, and I slip gratefully into the darkness.

How did such a great day end up so horrible?


	5. Chapter 4

~Chapter Four~

I wake up in an unfamiliar bed. Where am I? And what a weird dream last night. Wait, dreams? Oh man, my head hurts.

I remember the dream with the Princess, Ganondorf and Farore. But the dream with Cody and the Sheikah seems more lifelike, even more so than the other one. I attempt to sit up, but am stopped by a searing pain in my arm. I yelp and glace at my bandaged arm.

That last one wasn't a dream.

"Woah there, hero." Strong hands press on my other shoulder, forcing me to lie back down. "Your shoulder isn't entirely healed yet."

I stare into the blood-red eyes of my best friend.

"Sheik!" I exclaim. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I live here." He smiles with his eyes.

"Oh... yeah... right."

Sheik chuckles. "I got here just before you and your friends did. Glad I did."

"So am I." I say, attempting to get back up. Sheik helps me. "How long have I been out?"

"Five days. It took a while to get the poison out of you."

"And... did... did Cody..." I can't finish.

Sheik's features fall. "I'm so sorry Link. We haven't seen him. Some of the others and I went and checked your house, and he wasn't there. I guess Ganondorf took him prisoner."

"Or killed him." I mutter under my breath.

Sheik puts a hand on my shoulder. "He still has a chance. If Ganondorf's looking for you, he won't be so quick to kill someone he can use as bait."

"That makes me feel so much better." I say sarcastically.

"That's my job." He gets more bandages. "In all seriousness, Ganondorf'll keep him alive. We'll get him back Link, I promise."

I nod and allow him to re-dress my arm. I wince as he ties it tight, pain flashing up my arm. Then I look around the room. It's pretty simple; a bed, a table, a rug and a wardrobe. Wooden walls and stone floors. Nothing to really identify the room's owner. Except for a shelf next to the door. It has a small Grass Octorok figurine on it, the one that Sheik and I won one year in Castle Town, during their annual carnival. There's also a small leather bracelet on the table. It's crudely made, and you can tell that the owner wears it a lot. I remember that too, I made it. I have one just like it that Sheik made for me.

"This is your room?" I ask Sheik.

He nods. "Yeah. It's not much, but it's home."

"Where have you been staying if I've been in here?"

"Another Sheikah's room, he's gone on some mission or something."

I swing my legs over the bed and start to get up.

"What are you doing?" Sheik tries to make me lie down again. "You're still recovering, you need rest."

I wave him off. "I'm fine. What I need is food, and lots of it."

"You're always hungry." He rolls his eyes.

"You can't blame me, I've been without food for five days." I get to my feet and instantly regret it. The world spins and my stomach churns. I almost fall over, but Sheik catches me.

"I told you you're not ready to get up." He forces me back on the bed. "I'll get some food for you."

I smile weekly at him. "Thanks."

"No problem." He leaves and I lay back on the bed, trying to get a hold of my stomach. I take deep breaths, and eventually the world stops turning. As idiotic as it sounds, I'm going to give it another shot at getting up.

I think I went too fast last time, so I slowly and carefully sit up. Then I ease my legs over the side and get to my feet. I feel a little dizzy and my arm throbs, but at least this time I can walk around. I slip out the door and walk down the hall. It's more like a tunnel actually, it's all made of stone. I can hear voices in the room around the corner. So I turn into it, and smack into Sheik.

"What the heck, Link!" Sheik exclaims, almost dropping the plate of food he carries.

"Sorry, Sheik." I pick up a roll and place it on the plate. I try to hide the pain in my arm as I do so, but Sheik notices.

"For Heaven's sake, go back to that bed." I protest, but he pushes me back towards it.

"Sheik, just let him stay." A deep voice says from in the room. "If he says he's feeling better he's probably okay enough to stay in here."

I turn to see two older Sheikah, maybe in their late 30s. One has his face exposed (which is rare for Sheikah, Impa's the only Sheikah I've ever seen without a scarf), he's the one who just spoke. He smiles widely, his brown hair sticking out every which way. He seems friendly and open, (which is also rare for Sheikah). The other Sheikah is the exact opposite. His scarf covers his face, leaving only his blood-red eyes visible. His unruly blond hair just misses falling into his eyes. He looks surprised and sad at the same time. I shift under his intense gaze. Why is he staring at me like that?

Weird, I feel like I know him...

"Link, this is Jakob and Conner." Sheik says. "And Jakob, do you see his arm? He needs to rest."

"He's been in that bed for five days straight, let him get some excercise." Jakob smiles at me and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you Link."

I shake his hand with my good arm and smile back.

Conner steps forward and extends his arm as well. "We've heard a lot about you."

"Is that a good thing?" I joke as I shake his hand as well. "I'm sorry, but you look really familiar, do I know you somehow?"

He hesitates, and out of the corner of my eye I can see Jakob raise his eyebrow in expectation. "I... knew your parents before they disappeared. Maybe you remember me from then."

My eyes widen in surprise. He knew Mom and Dad? I've never met anyone but Cody who knew my parents. "You knew them?"

He nods. "Taylor was... my best friend, and I was just as good of friends with Marni."

"Taylor and Marni?" Sheik says in surprise. "The castle guard and his wife that disappeared from Castle Town 14 years ago? They're your parents?"

"Castle guard?" I turn to Conner again. "My dad was a castle guard? Cody never told me that."

Conner shrugs. "I'm guessing he knew you'd want to go to Castle Town if you knew. He didn't want you going there, right?"

I stare down at my boots. "Yeah."

"And yet you went anyway." His eyes sparkle with amusement. And... pride? "You're just like your dad."

I smile with pleasure at the comparison. "Thanks. It's nice to hear that from someone besides Cody."

Suddenly, a Sheikah a few years older than Sheik and I comes bursting into the room. "Hey Sheik! We just got some news about that kid's uncle! You were right, Ganondorf has him!"


	6. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

Ganondorf sent a ransom note for Cody. It reads:

_If you ever want to see your uncle again, I suggest you meet me in the Haunted Wasteland tonight. Come alone. This is between you and me. If you fail to do so, your uncle will pay the price with his blood.  
_

_~Ganondorf: King of the Gerudo, Chosen of Din, Holder of the Triforce of Power.  
_

I can almost hear Conner's teeth grind. "King of the Gerudo." He scoffs. "He was unseated from that position 14 years ago. When he betrayed all of Hyrule."

"So what do we do?" Kyland, the younger Sheikah, asks.

"We send some Sheikah out to confront him." Jakob answers.

"I'm going." Conner says.

Jakob throws a worried glance at him. "Con, are you sure you want to risk-"

"I'm going." Conner interrupts. "This man ruined my life. I want to be there when his comes tumbling down too."

"Okay, so when do we go?" I ask.

The four of them turn to me, remembering that I'm in here too.

Conner's the first to speak. "No Link."

"You're not going." Sheik says.

"What do you mean I'm not going?" I say. "He asked specifically for me! If I don't go, he'll know something's wrong and he'll leave."

"He's got a point there." Kyland offers.

"But you could get killed." Jakob counters. "That's what we're trying to prevent."

My head is bursting with questions about the unfair turn my life has just taken. "Why is he even after me?" I say harshly. "I don't get any of this. Why did the princess show up in my dream? What does Ganondorf have against me? Why did my parents leave? Why am I Farore's Chosen? What the heck does that even mean?! I hate being so in the dark about this! What's so special about me?"

For some reason Conner looks at the ground guiltily. So does Sheik.

Jakob sighs with sympathy. "Those are a lot of questions. I don't think I can answer them all." He glances cautiously over at Conner. "But Conner may be able to answer some."

Conner raises his eyebrow. His face betrays no emotion, but his eyes say, "Why are you bringing _me_ into this?"

A whole conversation goes on between them through their eyes, and I lose track of it immediately. Somehow they're able to communicate their feelings with their expressionless faces. Must be some weird power that comes through being a Sheikah.

Finally, Conner sighs and nods towards the door. "Come on Link, let's go outside. I'll answer your questions."

~X~

We walk out into Kakariko Village, home of the secretive Sheikah race. Sheikah roam around the village, some nod at us as we walk. Conner nods back and leads us into a stable like building. Inside stands about 30 horses, including Epona. I grin and walk over to her.

"Hey girl." I say softly as I stroke her head.

"Let's go." Conner says from his perch on a gray horse.

"Where?" I mount Epona and follow him out of the stable.

He hesitates. "You'll see."

Two guards intercept us at the gate. "Conner, isn't that kid supposed to stay in here?" One asks.

"Yeah, but Jakob gave me permission to let him out for a few hours. I'll be with him the whole time." Conner answers.

"Good enough for me." The other says. "Go ahead."

A few minutes later we're riding through Hyrule Field, towards the Lost Woods. The forest soothes my frayed nerves.

"Why are we going in here?" I ask.

"You'll see."

We continue to ride until we reach the ruins of the old Forest Temple. When I was younger, I used to love coming here and playing all day. Even at the age of 14 Sheik and I would run around the ruins playing tag.

"Why are we here? And don't you dare say that I'll see."

Conner laughs. "Your father loved this place when we were kids. I can't tell you how many hours we spent in this place, exploring every inch of the place." He laughs again. I like his laugh, it almost sounds familiar.

"You said you knew my father." I say hesitantly. "And Farore said that I would see him and my mom eventually." I take a deep breath. "Do you know where they are?"

Conner sighs deeply. "Yes. I do."

A tiny spark of hope flares up in my stomach. The possibility of seeing my parents again seems so real know that I'm talking to someone who can take me to them.

"Where are they?"

He regards me with deeply sad eyes. "Link, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I promised your parents I wouldn't tell anyone until the time was right... including you."

The spark is stomped out and my heart drops. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. "Why did they leave?"

Conner looks older suddenly. "Well, as you already know, they knew that Ganondorf was after you."

"Why is he after me anyway?"

"He thinks you're a reincarnation of the Hero of Light."

"What?"

"When Taylor was a guard at the castle, he was close friends with King Phillip. Phillip trusted him with translating scrolls written in ancient Hylian. Ganondorf was also chosen to be a scribe, and ended up being your dad's partner. After reading one of the scrolls about heroes of Hyrule, Ganondorf began to believe he was a reincarnation of the villains of the stories, Zelda a reincarnation of the princesses, and you as a reincarnation of the heroes. Taylor and Marni knew Ganondorf would primarily be looking for them, so they left to keep you safe."

I try to absorb all that. "So do you really think I am a reincarnation of all those heroes. Like the Hero of Time?"

"Well, you are Farore's Chosen. Many of the heroes of old were bearers of the Triforce of Courage." He runs his hands through his hair. "All the evidence says that you're the next chosen hero to save Hyrule."

I feel anger bubble up inside me. This is so unfair. All of the sudden the fate of Hyrule rests on me? I'm only an 18 year-old! I have no say in this!

"I know this is hard." Conner says softly. "I'm really sorry."

"When do you think I'll be able to see my parents?"

Conner shrugs sadly. "I don't know. It's been awhile since I've seen them myself."

I nod and we sit in silence.

"So about the meeting with Ganondorf..." I say after a few minutes.

"What about it?"

"I'm going to be able to go, right?"

He shakes his head. "No, too dangerous. You'll stay here with Sheik while Jakob, me and a few others go and get Cody."

"No way!" I exclaim. "This is my uncle we're talking about. I'm the one who got him in this situation, I need to get him out."

"Link, I understand you want to help, but it's just too dangerous. What would I tell your parents if Ganondorf killed you?"

I sigh and shake my head. "This is so unfair."

"I know. And I'm sorry." He coaxes his horse into walking. "Let's get back to Kakariko. Sheik and Jakob will be getting worried."

I urge Epona to follow him.

"Conner?" I call up to him.

He looks back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

I can see the smile in his eyes. "You're welcome."


	7. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~

Conner, Jakob and a few other Sheikah left a couple of hours ago. Both Sheik and I put up a fight, but we still got stuck here in Kakariko. So now here I am lying on a cot in Sheik's room not sleepy at all. Though I can hear Sheik's steady breathing, I know he's not asleep.

Sheik actually seemed really uncomfortable about me sleeping in here. I offered to sleep in a different room, but he said it was okay and that I'd been through enough already and that I didn't deserve to sleep on the stone floor. But for some reason he insisted that we both sleep in our cloths so we wouldn't have to change. Sometimes he can be really weird about this kind of stuff.

"Sheik." I whisper.

"Yeah?" He answers immediately.

"Can we do anything? I know I'm not going to go to sleep."

"Me neither." Sheik sighs. "And no, there isn't. There's not much to do in here, and I'm sure Conner and Jakob told all the guards to keep their eyes on us. They won't let us out."

"Lots of trust." I mummer.

"Yeah." Sheik agrees.

We sit in silence for a few more moments.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I finally ask.

"Yes, and I don't like it."

I grin. "So how are we going to do it?"

Sheik sighs and sits up. "Easy. Deku Nuts."

I laugh. I don't know what it is with Sheikah and Deku Nuts but they always use them.

"Deku Nuts it is."

We slip out of his room and silently make our way out of the building. Sheik was right, two Sheikah are positioned right outside the door. But Sheik pulls out two of the Deku Nuts and tosses them in the opposite direction. A huge bang rings out and flashes of color explode with a burning light. The guards cry out in surprise and run over to it. And while they're distracted, Sheik and I run over to the stable, quickly mount Epona and Shade, then fly out of the stable. Sheikah run after us and yell at us to stop, but we're already gone.

~X~

We shuffle through the Haunted Wasteland, sand and wind wiping at our faces. I have a flashback to my dream. Was this the desert I stood in as Ganondorf criticized me? It would make sense.

"They're not here yet." Sheik yells over the wind. "We'll have to wait over by that boulder."

"We beat them?" I ask in surprise. "They had a two-hour head start on us!"

"I guess that shortcut we took helped." He leads the way over to the boulder. It provides some protection from the relentless winds. I cough and empty my hat of sand.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Sheik says, beating the sand off of his uniform. "Now I have sand on every square inch of me and I'm in for a heck of a beating from Conner."

"Is Conner the leader of the Sheikah or something?" I ask.

"Kind of. Technically Impa is our leader, but since she's often away with the princess Conner fills in for her when she's gone. Which is most of the time."

"How long have you known Conner?"

"A long time. Him and Jakob are practically my uncles. Impa and them taught me everything I know."

"So you're close to Impa?" He's a lot more open right now then he usually is. Might as well take advantage of it.

He continues to pound at the dust. "Yes. She's been like a mother to me ever since I can remember. I owe her a lot."

"Are you close with the princess?"

He hesitates. "Um, yeah, I guess. We don't talk that much, but I guess I could consider her a friend."

"What's she like?" The topic of Zelda instantly grabs my attention. I'm eager to learn more about the princess.

Sheik shrugs. "She's nice. She's pretty, and she has good diplomatic skills."

"Is that all the compliments you can think of?" I laugh. He's really not good with girls.

He raises his eyebrows. "What compliments can you think of Prince Charming?"

I lean back against the rock and think. "She's beautiful, graceful and radiant. She'll make an amazing queen. The best Hyrule's ever had. And she seems like she's a great people person. And she has amazing eyes."

Sheik turns his head from me. "I'm sure she'd be flattered to hear that."

"Do you... um... know if she's interested in... like a guy or something..."

He laughs at my stuttering. "No, not at the moment. She's not particularly fond of the suitors her father chooses for her."

"Okay. That's nice." I smile at the news.

Sheik takes a deep breath. "Hey Link, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you..."

"What?"

"It has to do with Zelda."

"Uh oh. Are you interested in her too?"

He turns scarlet. "No! Definitely not!" He starts to say something else, but then he looks over my shoulder and his eyes widen. "Link look out!"

I don't even have time to turn around before my head is hit with something hard and I lose conscience instantly.

~X~

I wake chained to a wall. I struggle against my restraints, but it's no use. I look around at my surroundings. I'm in a prison cell, dimly lit by a lantern. How did I get here?

Then the throbbing in my head reminds me. I hope Sheik's okay.

"Oh hey, you're awake."

I start and turn towards the voice. A boy my age sits in the darkness of a corner, also chained to the wall. His black hair is matted with sweat and dirt is etched into his features. His bright green eyes add welcome color to his muted appearance. Despite our surroundings, he gives the feel of a powerful person.

He smiles ruefully at me. "Welcome to the castle dungeons. Lovely place huh?"

My headache gets worse and I groan. "The castle dungeons? We're in Hyrule Castle?"

His eyes deepen with sadness. "I wish. It'd be better than this place. No my friend, we're in the dungeons of Ganondorf's castle."

I groan again and kick at the ground. "I've been captured?"

"Seems so. You and about five Sheikah were brought in yesterday."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Probably in the other cells. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure they're all still alive. I haven't heard any screaming to suggest otherwise."

I sigh in relief.

"I'm Aiden by the way." The boy says. "And you are?"

"Link."

His face lights with recognition. "So you're the guy Ganondorf's been so intent on finding?"

"Seems so." I pull against the chains again. "Why are you here?"

"I'm the son of the General of Hyrule's Army, as well as a soldier. I went after Ganondorf when he escaped jail, but he's the one who caught me. I've been here for about a week. As you can tell, it's not a very pleasant place."

"It definitely isn't."

Suddenly the door is thrown open. In walks Sheik.

"Sheik!" I yell in surprise. "Are you okay? How did you get out? Did they knock you out..." I trail off as I look in his eyes. There's a steely glint in them that I've never seen before. His face is hard as stone, and it's not just his impassive, stone Sheikah expression. He looks... cruel.

"Sheik?" I ask in disbelief. This can't be my best friend. He isn't capable of that expression.

I stifle a gasp as a ReDead walks into the room. It stands next to Sheik, and stares at me with its black, glossy eyes. My heart feels as if it's slowing down. But Sheik seems unaffected by the creature. In fact, he seems to be in control over it.

"Take him." He orders the ReDead, pointing to Aiden. His voice is cold and hard. "I'll take this one." He walks over to me and begins to unlock my chains. For a second I think he's breaking me out, but he immediately handcuffs me after he gets me out.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he roughly pulls me out of the cell. Aiden, pulled by the ReDead and looking terrified, follows close behind.

"Be quiet." He says harshly.

They lead us into a large room. Then we're chained to the floor. I feel like I'm in some kind of a nightmare. Who is this hard man, and where's my best friend?

I turn my head to the side and I'm shocked to see Conner chained right next to me, along with Jakob and four other Sheikah. Conner looks at me first in surprise, then in confusion, then worry, and finally anger.

"Link? What the heck are you doing here?" He asks. "And what the heck is wrong with Sheik? He knocked us out when we got to the Haunted Wasteland."

I stare at him in shock. "_Sheik_ knocked you out?"

"Yes. The next thing we know, we're chained to a wall in a cell. How did you get here?"

"Sheik and I snuck out of Kakariko to help you capture Ganondorf." I say, my words void of expression. I feel numb and confused. "We took a shortcut, and got to the Wasteland before you. We were sitting by a boulder talking, when someone hit me from behind." I shake my head. "I don't understand. Why would Sheik knock you out? He tried to warn me."

"I'm afraid your friend might have different allegiances than you thought." Aiden says.

"No, not Sheik. He couldn't be." Conner says immediately.

"He couldn't be what?" I ask.

"It seems that he is." Aiden says, ignoring my question.

"He is what?" I ask again.

"No, you don't understand." Conner continues as though he didn't hear me. "I know Sheik. He couldn't betray us. I mean, he literally _could not_ betray us. Not with him being who he is."

"And who the heck is he?!" I shout.

Conner looks at me with sympathy. "So he really hasn't told you, huh?"

"Tell me what? Does this have to do with what he was about to say before I got knocked out?"

Before he can tell me, the tall ebony door on the other side of the room swings open. In walks a large man, and my blood immediately turns to ice. I recognize this man as the man in the cloak. Ganondorf. He radiates power and evil. His eyes are the color of fresh blood.

Sheik and the ReDeads drop to one knee and bow at him.

"My lord." Sheik says.

Ganondorf smiles wickedly at him. "Well done Sheik. You've done everything I've asked, flawlessly might I add." He sneers at me and the others. "They never once suspected you. Quite a feat. You have my highest praise."

My heart turns to stone as I finally realize what I've tried to put off as impossible. Sheik has been a spy for Ganondorf this whole time. He set us up, led us into Ganondorf's trap. He set me up. What better way to trick me than become my best friend? Was he ever really my friend? All those trips into the forest and Castle Town, all the fishing trips to Lake Hylia... was it all a lie?

"Thank you, Lord." Sheik says, standing up. "Your praise means much to me."

Ganondorf smugly walks to stand in front of me. "The Hero." He sneers. "You do look so much like your father. Tell me, did the great Taylor really flee in fear of me like a coward?"

I spit at his feet.

He clicks his tongue in mock disapproval. "Dear me, where are your manners? Your uncle must have raised you like an animal."

"Where is he?" Conner and I ask at the same time.

"He's alive, for now." Ganondorf laughs. "He's served his purpose. I'm still deciding what I want to do with him."

"If you dare touch him, I'll rip you apart." Conner growls.

Ganondorf smiles. "Oh really? Tell me Sheikah, are you really as brave as you make yourself out to be?"

Conner stares daggers at him, but stays silent.

"I thought not." He turns back to me. "Forgive me, I forgot to welcome you to my humble home. That's the whole reason I had Sheik bring you out here. I hope your stay here will be pleasant. Or at least, pleasant until I kill you all." He gives us that wicked smile. "I look forward to personally stopping your heart." He turns to the ReDeads. "Escort them back to their cells. Sheik and I have things to discuss."

The ReDeads slowly make their ways over to us and unchain us, taking us back to our cells. My last glace of the room is Sheik's crimson eyes. The eyes of my former best friend.


	8. Interlude and Chapter 7

~Interlude~

Ganondorf studied the Sheikah boy in front of him. For the past six years the boy had proved his loyalty to him. Befriending the young hero, infiltrating the Sheikah, even managing to deceive that fool Impa. Ganondorf was deeply impressed.

But still, he was wary of the young warrior. He wanted to be sure Sheik was on his side.

"Sheik, I must ask you once again," Ganondorf said. "Why are you helping me? What have you to gain from it?"

"Everything." The boy answered. His jaw was set and fire burned in his eyes. "The other Sheikah have always doubted my ability as a fighter. They've all disregarded me as a rookie. But you had faith in me, you showed me how truly corrupted Hyrule is. I'm proud to serve you, my lord."

Ganondorf nodded. He believed him. For now.

"Yes, I do have faith in you. I feel you are ready."

"Ready for what, my lord?"

"To kill."

Sheik gulped. "Kill, lord? Kill who?"

"The little hero of course. You have proven yourself more than worthy. I've decided to give you the privilege of killing him. It will be a special treat to see the horror on his face as the man he thought to be his best friend kills him."

"Thank you, lord. I'm honored." Sheik said quietly.

"You should be. Now go and prepare for it. We'll do it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That's a little soon, don't you think?"

"Are you questioning me Sheik?"

Sheik looked down. "Of course not."

"I didn't think so. Go."

Sheik bowed and left the room.

Ganondorf smiled and walked back to his quarters. Tomorrow, the only man in Hyrule that could defeat him would be executed. Everything was working out according to plan.

~Chapter Seven~

I hit the wall in frustration. How can this be happening? This cannot be happening.

I can't get the cruel look on Sheik's face out of my mind. How could he do something like this to us? To me? There's a small part of me that's arguing that Sheik would never do something like that. But the rest of me is still reeling from the hurt of his betrayal.

For the first time in my life, I feel truly alone.

Aiden lies asleep in his corner of the room. I can hear his soft snores. I try to follow in his footsteps and get comfortable. Comfortable isn't very comfortable in here. But I make the best of it. I take deep breaths and clear my mind of my hurt. Slowly, I slip away into the darkness of sleep.

But I don't get to far before I hear a voice yell in my ear, "Wake up, lazy!"

I jerk awake and find myself staring at a bright blue fairy with a smirk on her face. Her shimmering blue dress sparkles in the torch-light, her glossy blue hair short and nicely done.

"Wow, you're the kid the Great Deku Tree sent me to watch over?" She snickers. "You're not what I imagined you."

"And what did you imagine me to be like?" I say defensively.

She studies me. "Older, stronger, and more handsome."

"Gee, thanks." I mumble. "And who exactly are you anyway?"

"I'm Navi the fairy!" She smile brightly. "The Great Deku Tree sent me to be your fairy partner from now on. Nice to meet you!"

"Fairy partner?" I ask, surprised. "But only Kokiri get fairy partners. I'm Hylian."

"I know. The Great Deku Tree wanted me to help you on your quest."

"He knows about me?"

"Well, duh." She says. "He knows everything. The goddesses speak to him all the time. Of course he knows about you!"

"Okay. So if he sent you to help me, then does that mean that you can get me out of here? And that boy in the corner too?" I say hopefully.

She scrunches up her face in thought. "Hmm. I don't know. It'll take some work, that's for sure." She flutters over to inspect the chains. "Ooh. Maybe I won't be able to get you out of that... at least, not with my magic. I may be able to get a tool to help."

"Okay, try that."

She nods and zooms out the window in a blur of blue.

Aiden's still asleep, and crickets begin to sing outside. Their music makes me sleepy. I catch myself dozing off more than once, and try to will myself to keep my eyes open. But I'm so sleepy...

And this time, I'm awakened by the sound of something sawing through my chains. My first thought is that Navi came back and is now breaking me out. I open my eyes, ready to see her smirking at me...

But it's not Navi.

It's Sheik.

He doesn't notice I'm awake and continues to fervently attack the chains with a small, sharp knife. The cruel look is gone, as is the steely glint in his eyes. He looks like my best friend again. But he also looks nervous and repeatedly glances over his shoulder at the cell door. Is he breaking me out? He's the one that got me in here! Why on earth would he be breaking me out?

When he finally gets through the chains, I immediately jump up, grab him by his uniform and slam him up against the wall. I rip the knife out of his hands and push it against his throat.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I whisper forcefully. "What's with this sudden personality switch? First you betray me-after all the years we've been friends-and then you break me out? I want answers Sheik, _now_."

"I know this is really confusing for you, Link." He says calmly. He must've been preparing for this reaction. "And I know you want answers, but-"

"No," I cut him off. "No 'buts' Sheik. I want answers. You owe me that, after all we've been through. I want to know everything."

He sighs deeply. "I don't know where to begin."

"Start with why exactly you pretended to be my friend."

He looks at me with pained eyes. "No, no Link. I never pretended to be your friend. I really am your friend, I always have been. I didn't betray you, I betrayed Ganondorf. Impa helped me trick him into thinking I was a Sheikah boy committed to his cause. But in reality, I've kept the royal family updated on his actions. They're on their way as we speak."

My heat lifts at the possibility of him not being a traitor after all. But what about the reality of his cruelness? Could he really have faked that look and that voice? "Wait, what do you mean he thinks you're a Sheikah boy? You are a Sheikah boy."

He takes a shaky breath. "I-I don't know how to tell you this."

"Trust me, I can take anything you throw at me right now."

"I don't know about that." He says under his breath. He looks at me seriously. "Link, please, promise me that even after I show you who I really am, that we'll still be friends."

"What do you mean who you really are?"

He explodes with a bright blue light. After all my time in the darkness, the bright light feels like fire. After the light dims down, I glance at Aiden. He's still fast asleep, turned on his side so his back is against us. I turn back to Sheik to ask him what the light was, but I stop as I get a good look at him. It takes me a minute to really see the changes he's suddenly acquired.

...What just happened?

I stare at him in complete shock. His figure has changed, he looks more... feminine? His hair is now tied in a long braid down his back, and his eyes are now blue. They look awfully familiar...

Then, for the first time ever, Sheik removes his scarf, exposing his face.

My jaw drops.

It's not Sheik.

It's Princess Zelda.

She smiles shyly at me. "Well? Are you going to say something?"

I don't think I can with her looking at me, but I manage to choke out, "What happened to Sheik?"

She laughs lightly. "Actually, that's what I wanted to tell you, and the main reason why I couldn't actually be a spy for Ganondorf. Link, _I_ am Sheik."

I laugh for a second, not quite believing her. "You're not Sheik, you're the princess."

"And I'm also Sheik." Oh my gosh, I think she's serious. "Shortly before I met you, my father and Impa decided to let me help with interrogating Ganondorf. My father wasn't very happy about it, but I went through with it anyway. Impa changed me into a Sheikah boy, and I pretended to be on Ganondorf's side, but all the while I let my father know what he told me. Then he began speaking about a boy who he thought would be the cause of his downfall. He wanted me to go and befriend him, then lure him into Ganondorf's trap. Daddy didn't to risk me getting hurt, so he told me to lie that I did what he said. But I became fascinated with the thought of having a real friend in the boy Ganondorf told me about. So I went to go and find him." She paused. "Link, you know that I'm talking about you, right?"

"Yeah, it's kind of obvious."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. No offense, but you can be kind of slow sometimes."

I start to protest, but she cuts me off. "I went to the Lost Woods, not really knowing if I would even be able to find you, but to my surprise I bump right into you. But I didn't know it was you at the time. Ganondorf spoke of you like you were some war hero, or a village leader. But instead you were just a normal, scrawny 12 year-old boy." I start to protest about her description, but she cuts me off again. "Yes Link, you were a scrawny 12 year-old boy once. Deal with it. So, as I was saying, by the time I realized you were the boy Ganondorf talked about, you were already my best friend. When Ganondorf managed to escape from prison, he ordered me to capture you. I wasn't planning on doing it, but when the ReDead knocked you out, I had no choice but to keep up the charade and make it look like I'd brought you to him. Ganondorf is going to have you killed in the morning, by Sheik. So I have to get you out tonight."

I'm still in shock. "You-you're Sheik?" I ask incredulously.

She bites her lip and nods. She's cute when she's nervous. "Link, don't get me wrong, there were so many times I really wanted to tell you who I was. But until Impa let me travel to Kakariko, you were my only real friend. Even after I got close to some of the Sheikah my age, you were always my closet friend. Please, don't be mad at me."

I should be furious with him-I mean her. Six years of thinking she was a boy, and now I'm finding out my best friend has been a girl all this time without me knowing? And not just any girl, the Princess of Hyrule. My face goes red when I think of all the stupid things I've said in front of her. But, it would make sense why she's always been so uncomfortable talking about girls. And even more uncomfortable talking about herself.

Oh my gosh... I admitted to her that I have a huge crush on her!

She smiles softly. "And by the way, those were some really nice things you said about me the other day."

My hand goes to the back of my neck and my face and my face goes scarlet. "Well, you know, I was just being nice."

She laughs. "Yeah, sure." She punches my arm playfully and takes the knife back. I realize with a bit of a shock that Sheik would have done the same thing. She really is Sheik.

She starts sawing at the handcuffs around my wrists, quickly breaking me out of them. I rub them, relived to have them free.

"Can you get Aiden out too?" I ask.

"Aiden? Who's Aiden?"

I point to him and she follows my finger.

"Oh, I didn't see him there. Yes, I can. But I need you to watch the door in case a guard comes by."

I nod and walk over to the door. She begins sawing at Aiden's chains as well.

He groggily tries to push her away and mumbles, "Give me five more minutes."

"Hey, Link!" Navi yells as she flies in the room. "I found a sharp rock! Do you think that'll work?" She looks over to where I was, confused.

"Over here." I whisper.

"Oh! There you are! How'd you get there?" She says loudly.

I shush her. "My friend is breaking us out. Now be quiet or Ganondorf will hear us."

"Um Link, I think he already heard us." She points behind me with a frightened face.

Zelda gasps and Aiden shoots up. I slowly turn around and come face to face with the former Gerudo King.

"Yes," He says evilly. "I do believe he has heard you."


	9. Interlude and Chapter 8

~Interlude~

I'm thrust into a cell, it's dark and cold, not at all like the warm house Marni and I have in Kakariko. It's a different cell then I was in before. If possible, it's even colder than the other one. I guess the guards are trying to separate us all. And then kill us. This trip has turned out wonderful.

Not to mention Link is somewhere locked up too. Stupid kid. What on earth went on his brain that he actually thought it would be a good idea to follow them?

_He inherited it from me._ I think ruefully.

Link.

It hurts my heart to just look at him. He really does look so much like me when I was his age. Same hair, same face. But he has Marni's eyes. And he's so grown up, I can't believe he's the little boy that would sit on my lap as I told him stories.

I first heard news about Link around four years ago. For ten long years, Marni and I (known as Kara among the Sheikah who don't know who we really are) had painfully kept our distance from Link. Zelda had been visiting Kakariko as Sheik for around a year. Impa knows who Marni and I really are, she's the one who gave us our Sheikah disguises. Using the same magic that she used to turn Zelda into Sheik, she changed Marni into Kara and me into Conner. She knew us from when I was a guard to King Phillip, and since he trusted me highly she does too, so I'm one of the few Sheikah who knows Zelda's real identity.

That night, Zelda, Impa, Jakob and I sat around a table eating. I sat across from Zelda, now in her regular form, talking to Jakob when I heard Zelda make a comment about a boy named Link to Impa. I almost choked on my food.

_No,_ I thought,_ it couldn't be my Link_.

"Link?" Impa asked. "Who's this Link person?"

Zelda looked down at her plate, her face flushed. I suspected she'd been keeping that a secret.

"Oh, just a boy I met." She waved it off.

"A Sheikah?" I asked without thinking.

"Um, no," She ventured. "No, he's a Hylian."

"What? You met some random boy somewhere? Zelda, why on earth didn't you tell me that? He could've hurt you!" Impa exploded.

"Not Link! We've been best friends for two years!" She hit the table in frustration as soon as the phrase left her mouth. Another secret.

"What?!"

"Zelda, this boy, where did you meet him?" I asked. I had to know if this boy was my son.

"In the Lost Woods, near Ordon Village." She answered, wincing as Impa's eyes widened even more.

"You were in the Lost Woods without my permission?!"

"Who does he live with?" I asked.

"An uncle. I've never met him though, he's a little protective and Link says that if he found out we were friends he'd freak out. He doesn't like Link making friends with people outside of Ordon. He told me the reason is that his parents disappeared about ten years ago for no reason. His uncle doesn't want the same thing to happen to him. It's kind of sad." She ate a bit of her bread. "He's about a year older than me, but he doesn't know that because I made it so Sheik is the same age as him."

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. It _was_ Link. What were the odds Link and Zelda would become best friends? And was Link really 14 years-old? He was so old...

Impa's eyebrows raised and she made eye contact with me. She knew now that it was my Link. Then her eyes widened again and she turned to Zelda.

"Zel, this isn't the boy Ganondorf wanted Sheik to make friends with?"

My heart dropped to my boots. "What do you mean?"

Impa looked to me in sympathy. "About a month after Sheik got into Ganondorf's inner circle, he told her about this boy who was going to ruin everything for him. He told her where he lived and what he looked like, then ordered her to pretend to be friends with him to lead him to Ganondorf. Of course his Majesty and I refused to let her put the boy at risk." She turned to Zelda. "And you went out and did it anyway."

Zelda stared intently at her food. "Impa, please don't tell Daddy. He'll never let me be Sheik again if he finds out I disobeyed a direct order. Besides, Link is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met, he won't hurt me."

Impa glanced at me. "I'm sure he is."

My mind was reeling. I was so happy that Link had apparently turned out good. Hopefully he was more like Marni than me, or he would be driving Cody crazy. Bad enough he had to spend his childhood taking care of me, he didn't need to spend his adult life handling a mini-me.

But the fact that Ganondorf knew where Link lived bothered me a lot. I didn't even know exactly where Link was until today. For all I knew Link could've been living at the Snowpeak Ruins. How had Ganondorf found out? Was Link no longer safe?

Impa put her hand on mine to comfort me. Zelda and Jakob were deep in conversation, so she took the opportunity to whisper to me, "Taylor, I'm sure he'll be completely safe. Ganondorf is in the dungeons, he can't lay a finger on him. But if you want, we can send guards out there to watch him."

I attempted at a smile. "No, it's fine. Cody can take of him just fine. I trust him."

And now look where we are. All three of us rotting in a dungeon. I should've taken Impa up on her offer.

But at the same time, because I didn't, I got to see my only son for the first time and fourteen years. I was absolutely shocked when he saw him laying on the ground next to Sheik, unconscious and bleeding. I hadn't recognized him immediately, I still pictured Link as the little 4 year-old happily playing in the water. But as soon as I got a good look at him I knew it was Link. It had been a huge surprise to see him, I certainly hadn't expected my son that I hadn't had contact with for over a decade to show up out of nowhere. And I'd been amazed by how old he was, how much like me he was.

I sigh deeply and rest my head against the cool metal bars on the door, wincing as the numbing cold cuts into my forehead. He really is just like me. Running away sounds just like something my 18 year-old self would have done. Thank Heaven Marni came along and put me in line. Why couldn't he be more like her? I mean sure he has enough of her sense to be polite, but he seems to have my brain. She never would've done something like that. I wince at the thought of my wife. She's going to be absolutely furious that I didn't tell her about Link coming to Kakariko, but I had a good reason not to. She would've wanted to see him and he can't know we're his parents, not yet. We can't take that chance while Ganondorf is so close.

She's probably worried sick about me. How long have I been here? A day? Longer? She's going to kill me when I get home. And then bring me back to life to yell at me and make me sleep on the couch.

"Who are you?"

I'm startled out of my thoughts and turn towards the new voice. In the dim light I can just barely make out a man a few years older than myself. He has whiskers and black hair, his bright blue eyes dimmed by the harsh nature of Ganondorf's dungeons.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I didn't expect to get put in a cell with someone else. And even more shocking is the person himself.

"Cody?" I asked.

Cody narrows his eyes at me. "How do you know my name?"

I feel instantly comforted by the presence of my older brother. I really missed Cody, he's always been there for me. Before Marni came along Cody was the one to keep me out of trouble. I've needed him a lot lately.

I wait for him to recognized me, but I realize that as long as I have my Sheikah disguise on, Cody won't know who I am.

"Who are you?" Cody asks again.

I sigh, and for the first time in a long while leave Conner behind and become Taylor again. I then take of his scarf and stare Cody in the eyes.

"Cody, it's me." I say softly.

It's Cody's turn to gape in surprise. "Tay?" He asks incredulously

I take a step closer to him. "Yeah, yeah it's me."

Cody stands in shock for a moment, then runs forward and embraces me, laughing and misty eyed. I have to admit, my eyes aren't the dryest either.

"Taylor! What are you doing here? I haven't seen or heard anything from you since you left and you show up in Ganondorf's dungeon of all places!"

I laugh softly. "You can thank my son for that."

Cody rolls his eyes. "Link? Great, what's he done now?" Then his eyes widen. "You mean you've seen him?"

"Yes. But he doesn't know it's me. I've been disguised as a Sheikah named Conner ever since you last saw me."

"Where's Link now?"

"Here."

"In the dungeons?"

"Yes."

Cody shrugs. "I expected that of him."

"Cody, if we see Link anytime soon, I'm not Taylor, okay? I'm Conner, an old friend of yours and your brother's." I say.

"You mean you're not going to tell him?" Cody asks.

"No, I am. Eventually. Just, not now. Not here with Ganondorf breathing down our necks. He'll use me against him just like he's using you. It'll be better this way." I say halfheartedly.

I can see from his gaze that he knows I'd rather Link knew I'm his father, but he knows I'm right. It will hurt more than it will heal.

"So, got any of your bright ideas on how to get out of here?" Cody asks.

"I was hoping you would." I respond.

"Nope, I've been here for a few days and searched every inch of the place. There's absolutely nothing."

I sigh deeply. How long are we going to be here?

"Are you sure you searched everywhere?" I ask as I start to search through the hay that lies on the floor. Maybe there's a trap door or tunnel that he overlooked.

"I'm pretty sure." Cody kicks the hay at his feet. "I haven't had anything else to do for a while, so I put all my energy into looking for an exit. There's nothing Tay."

I kick the wall in frustration. "I am not going to let him kill Link. Not after all I've done to protect him."

Suddenly, a banging on the door echoes throughout the small cell. We both turn towards it and find Jakob grinning at us through the bars.

"Hey! I haven't seen Taylor for a few years, nice to see you've come out of your Sheikah shell." He winks. "And Cody! It's been a long, long time, friend."

"How did you get out?" I ask.

He holds up a ring of keys with a smug smile. "A certain Princess/Sheikah saved me." Zelda, of course.

"What's going on with her? What does she think she's doing, helping Ganondorf take us like that?" I ask.

Jakob quickly unlocks us while relaying Zelda's story. "She told me she hadn't meant for it to happen, but when the ReDead knocked Link out she had no choice but to go along with it. She was planning a breakout, but she had to act sooner than she thought."

"Why?" I ask, getting a bad feeling.

"Ganondorf gave Sheik the honor of killing Link. Tomorrow." Apparently the horror on mine and Cody's faces are more than obvious, because he quickly adds, "She's already on her way to get him. They're probably already out."

"I hope you're right." I say as we quickly make our way to Link's cell. I turn back into Conner and I will not let Ganondorf lay a hand on my son.

~Chapter Eight~

I back away quickly and stand next to Sheik-I mean Zelda. Aiden sits up in shock, his arms finally free of the chains, while Navi whimpers and her light dims. She slowly flies away from him, weakly landing on my shoulder. She looks sick.

"Navi? What's wrong?" I ask.

Ganondorf laughs. "I usually have that affect on fairies. I'm quite special that way."

"I feel like he's draining my energy." Navi moans.

Zelda steps forward. "Ganondorf, you're reign of terror is finally at an end. Before, you weren't eligible of execution. But now that you've admitted to personally murdering of hundreds of Gerudos to me, you're hanging will be scheduled soon. The guards will be here any minute now to arrest you."

"Well, well. If it isn't the little princess! And I hate to break it to you, but I haven't confessed anything to you." Ganondorf smiles. "Now how on earth did you come to join us, your Highness?

In response Zelda lifts up her scarf and wraps it around her face. With it on she looks like she did as Sheik.

Ganondorf's eyes widen in surprise. "So, you were the Sheikah boy this whole time. I guess I should have known. It seemed much to unlikely that you could've fooled the entire Sheikah population, not to mention Impa. I'm sure she's the one that thought up the disguise. Well, no matter. I can always hold you for ransom. Your dear daddy wouldn't dare let anyone harm you, he'll do anything I want." He glances at Aiden, Navi and me. "As for you three, I'll just kill you. It'll be much easier."

"My father will personally make sure that you're dead by the end of the week Ganondorf." Aiden growls.

"Your father is a weakling. I've fought him before, trust me."

"He'll be the one to kill you."

"More likely I'll be the one to kill him."

"Ganondorf," I interrupt. "I want my uncle back. Where is he?"

Ganondorf thinks for a second. "Your uncle... the scrawny black-haired man? Yes... let's see, where did I put him? I do believe I put him in the cell with your father."

It takes a moment for me to understand those last words, and when I do time seems to stop.

"My father?" I ask. He must be pulling my leg. Getting me to do whatever he wants. But I don't really know. Ganondorf has a sarcastic edge to his voice no matter what he says, making you doubt everything that comes out of his mouth.

"Yes. Oh that's right, you haven't seen him for a while, have you?" He continues. "Funny, since you've been with him for the last few days."

"What are you talking about?" I demand. That sarcastic tone is really getting on my nerves, can he say anything without it? "I haven't seen my father since I was 4 years-old."

"Oh really? Because you were talking to him just a few hours ago."

"What do you mean?"

Ganondorf grins. "He thinks that little Sheikah disguise is fooling me. Please, it's obvious who he really is." He sees my shocked expression and his grin widens to expose his yellow teeth. "Yes, one of the Sheikah I've captured just so happens to have a double identity as your father. Care to know which one?"

I know I shouldn't believe him, but a little voice in my head is telling me he's speaking the truth. That voice is usually right.

I turn to Zelda. "Did you know about this?"

I feel bad as soon as the words leave my mouth. Her eyes drop to her boots and her figure is weighed down with guilt. I shouldn't have asked that. Just because she kept her identity from me, doesn't mean she knew about Dad too. The only thing that did was make her feel even worse about lying to me.

"No, if any of the Sheikah here is your father he's kept a good job about hiding it." She says.

"Not really, I noticed." Ganondorf says smugly. "I believe he goes by the name of-"

"Ganondorf, get away from my nephew!" A wonderfully familiar voice yells.

"Cody!" I yell in relief as he walks in and steps in between Ganondorf and I. Conner and Jakob walk in as well, flanking Cody.

"Ah, uncle and Daddy are here. Good, now you can watch the death of the little hero." Ganondorf says.

Dad? I turn to Cody in surprise. He in turn looks over to Conner and Jakob. Jakob turns to Conner, who looks at me with a guilty face.

"So Taylor, how long did you think you could keep it from your son and I, huh?" Ganondorf mocks. "Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that. Do you want me to tell him or do you want to reveal yourself?"

Conner looks down to the ground, and then there's a flash of light like when Zelda transformed and he takes his scarf off. I step back in surprise and shock. Zelda gasps. Conner doesn't quite look like Conner anymore. He looks like... me. He's still vaguely recognizable, but he's definitely changed. His hair seems closer to my shade of blonde, just as messy as mine too. He's grown a couple of inches, his tan Sheikah skin now paler, marking him as a Hylian. His eyes are what jar me the most though. They've turned a comforting brown, eyes that I now remember smiling down at me as a child.

"Don't touch my son." He growls at Ganondorf. Ganondorf laughs.

Conner isn't Conner. He's Taylor. He's my father.

All I can do is stare at him. The man I've dreamed about meeting my whole life, and here he is standing right in front of me. I can remember him now, his bright laughter when I did something childishly stupid and his warm smile as Mom sang me to sleep.

In the space of one day, I've found out my beast friend is really a girl (not to mention a princess) and now that my father has been a Sheikah in disguise. What else could happen? Cody turns out to be my long lost brother?

Taylor looks at me with the most heartbreakingly guilty expression I've ever seen. "Link... I'm so sorry... I wanted to tell you so, so bad. But I thought it would've given Ganondorf the upper hand if he knew." He faces Ganondorf with a stone cold face. "But apparently he already knew."

Ganondorf shrugs. "What can I say? I'm a smart man."

"You're a foolish man." Taylor spits out. "Yes, it's possible that you, the princess and my son could be reincarnations, I mean, it's happened before. But that doesn't mean history has to repeat itself. You don't need to do this."

Ganondorf laughs again, a bitter sound. "Oh yes it does. I hate to burst your bubble, but throughout all the times we have been reborn the hero and I have fought to the death. There's no escaping your son's fate, and you know that."

"It doesn't mean you need to kill him." Taylor says through gritted.

"I'm sorry Taylor, but I can't take any chances." Ganondorf barks at a Re-Dead standing nearby in its garbled language. The Re-Dead slowly walks out. Uh oh, what did he just do?

"Ganondorf, what's happened to you?" Taylor asks in a frustrated tone. "You were a good man. You had everything. Why give it all up for something so ridiculous? What become a murderer when you had so much potential?"

"Because it is my destiny!" Ganondorf suddenly explodes. He has a crazy gleam in his eyes, like a madman. Zelda jumps and grabs my arm. "I _will_ be the first of my lineage to defeat the almighty hero! I will win! And now, I shall watch the hero kill himself. What sweet revenge it will be!"

Suddenly the room is spinning, and I have to lean heavily on Zelda for support. But then she's gone as well. I fall on the floor and look up in surprise. My father, Aiden, Jakob, and Cody are locked up in individual cages that hang from the ceiling. Zelda is chained up next to Ganondorf, who has Navi in a cage hanging from his belt. I'm alone in the middle of a large, circular room, armed with a sword and shield.

Ganondorf grabs Zelda by her braid and yanks. She yelps in pain. Some kind of instinctive protectiveness over swells up inside me. My mind forms simple thoughts: I don't like that he just did that. I don't like that he hurt her. He has to be taught a lesson. With my sword. Without thinking I unsheath the sword and strike at Ganondorf. He instantly counters with his own sword he had in his hand. I take another swing and this time I strike flesh. Where my sword sliced his arm now oozes blood. Then I chop at his thigh, feeling satisfaction as more blood gushes from the cut. The only thought in my head is that I really want to hurt him for all he's done to me. I want him to yell in pain at the new wounds. But he just smiles in satisfaction, as if I've done something to prove his point.

"Don't you see Link? You are the hero." He whispers. "Look at what you just did."

I realize he makes a point. Why did I do that? It was like a whole other side of me came out of nowhere. I mean, I don't even know how to use a sword! I took lessons from Cody once, but that was a long time ago, and certainly not enough for me to land those blows. What just happened? I glance at Zelda to see she's just as surprised as me.

"Nice job, hero." She whispers. "Thanks."

Ganondorf ignores the cuts and looks up to my dad. "Well Taylor? Do you believe me now?"

I turn around to see Aiden and Jakob nodding in approval while Cody and Taylor stare at me in surprise. Cody especially, because he knows I have no real training for sword fighting.

"I think it's time to really put you to the test, Link." Ganondorf says. "If you don't kill yourself, then you really are the hero and I will kill you instead. If you do kill yourself, then you aren't worthy of being the hero. Simple logic really."

"What do you mean me killing myself?" I ask nervously.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Ganondorf says. Suddenly bars spring down from the ceiling, cutting me off from him, Zelda and Navi. All I have left is my sword and shield.

"Link, behind you!" Zelda cries.

I turn on my heel and find myself face to face with a strange, ebony figure. I take a step back in surprise because he's defying gravity by actually crouching on the bottom of his sword! While his sword is standing on its tip! Who is this person? A demon?

The figure laughs softly, a chilling sound that cuts right to my bones. He lifts his head and stares me in the eyes. I gasp, because I recognize this thing. For the second time today, I'm facing someone who looks like me. Exactly like me. This clone has my face. But instead of my green tunic, his is black as tar. His skin is gray, and so is his hair. His eyes are blood red.

_Hello, hero. I've been waiting for you._ He says, without moving his mouth. His voice is something from my nightmares.

It's a shadow me.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey y'all! I just want to tell you guys how sorry I am that I took such a long break from this story; surgery and homework gave me serious writer's block! But I'm back, and I promise I'm gonna continue this story! And sorry this chapter's on the short side... I'm just getting back into the groove of this story so I didn't make it very long. But the next chapter will hopefully be longer. Thanks for all your support!**

~Chapter Nine~

This shadow me continues to stare at me with unblinking eyes. I don't think I've ever been in a more terrifying situation.

"Wh-what... who are you?" I stutter.

He laughs again. _I am all the bitterness, anger, resent, sorrow and darkness that you've ever experienced in your life. I am your shadow. Master Ganondorf has created me to kill you. You may call me Dark Link._

Dark Link. A dark me. This is the weirdest thing yet!

"Now hero," Ganondorf says from behind the metal bars that cut off him and Zelda from me. "If you are able to defeat Dark Link, I'll be convinced you really are the hero of legend. After all, the Hero of Time fought his shadow. If he did it, and you're his reincarnation, than this should be easy for you." He gives me a wicked smile. "Prove that you are Farore's Chosen."

"Link, be careful." Taylor yells from above. "I read about shadow people in the ancient scrolls. He knows you because he _is_ you. A form of you. Do something unexpected. Something you wouldn't normally do."

Dark Link gracefully jumps off the hilt of his sword, taking it with him and landing in a crouch.

"What if I don't know what I would normally do?" I yell back, clumsily unsheathing my sword and putting my shield in front of me. All the skill I had when I attacked Ganondorf is completely gone. I feel utterly defenseless.

"Well then just wing it!" He says.

"Wing it? You're telling me to wing it when there's a crazy shadow person trying to kill me?" Now I know for sure he's my father, I probably would've said the same thing...

"It works for me when I get in fights." Taylor shrugs.

"Okay, wing it." I mutter. "I'll wing it."

Dark Link's head whips up and he gives me that crazy grin.

_Shall we begin?_

"Um... begin what?" I ask clumsily.

Faster than I can follow he brings his sword down to split me in half. Zelda screams and Taylor yells, mirroring my emotions. But that same instinctive knowledge of how to use my sword comes back again and I'm able to counter him, but it is as if he knew I would do that. Like lightning, he goes to slash my chest, but somehow with the same speed I once again counter him. The same thing happens again and again, my heart pounding in my chest the whole time. How am I doing this... and actually doing good at it?

But I'm getting tired. And Dark Link is just as fervent as he was at the beginning. I'm vaguely aware of everyone cheering me on, but my pounding heart is drowning them out.

Dark Link cocks his head and smiles mockingly. _You are not nearly as skilled as I thought you would be. This will be easy.  
_

"I'm made of more than you think." I say through gritted teeth. I attack him again, putting the rest of my energy and all my hate into the thrust towards his chest. And against all odds, I strike him exactly where I was aiming for.

I stare in shock at the macabre sight I've just caused. My sword slides right into his heart and out his back. Blood so dark it looks black weeps from the wound.

Dark Link stares only with mild interest. Then his dark scarlet eyes lock with mine, full of hate and arrogance. His odd smile returns.

_Do you really think your silly little toy sword is going to kill me?_ He hisses. _My soul will simply go to the Underworld for a short period of time. Your sword cannot kill me. Only one sword can destroy me, and you do not posses it._ He takes a rattling breath and slides off my sword. Unnervingly he doesn't stop smiling. His smile reminds me of a wolf: predatory and cold. Disturbing, considering he shares my face. _I will find you again hero. And next time we meet, our current positions will be reversed._ He takes a shaky breath, his crimson eyes roll back into his head, and he goes still.

I shiver and put my hand over my heart, the same place where I stabbed Dark Link. I killed him. I don't like the feeling of knowing I just took someone's life, even if it was some crazy psycho who wasn't technically alive.

I'm suddenly aware of clapping echoing in the still room. I slowly turn to face Ganondorf, who is walking towards me. Apparently he's called off the bars between us. Hopefully that means that I can punch him into the next country now. My mouth curls into a snarl as he gets closer.

"Well done Link," He says. "You did much better than I thought you would. Quite impressive if I do say so myself."

"Shut up," I snarl. Now usually I'm not this mean, but I can't help it. I'm sick of Ganondorf. I just want my life to go back to the way it was when I was four. "I defeated him. Now let my friends and I go."

"When did I ever say I was going to let you go?" He asks. "I said that if Dark Link failed to kill you I would, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

I didn't notice the sword he had in his hand. He swiftly takes it and slides it through my abdomen.

I yell in pain as he twists it inside my stomach and wrenches it out. I gasp and fall to my knees. I hear Zelda and Navi scream and Taylor yelling, but they sound like they're underwater. And there's an annoying ringing sound in my ears. I stare at my stomach in shock. It's obviously a fatal wound, I don't think a red potion will heal it. I'm dead. Ganondorf has just killed me. After all Mom and Dad have sacrificed to protect me I've gone and gotten myself run through.

As I fall backwards someone is there to catch me before my head cracks against the marble floor. I look up and see the hazy outline of my father.

"Link," His voice still has that strange echo sound to it. But I can hear the fear cracking his voice, and it scares me as well. A single tear falls on my cheek. I don't want him to cry for me... "Link, hold on. We're getting help. You're going to be okay, just hold on. Don't leave us..."

"Cody," I whisper as my breath rattles in my lungs.

"I'm here bud, I'm here..."

His words slowly fade off as the world goes silent around me. My vision flickers. I can feel my heartbeat slowing in my chest, my blood congealing in my veins. Is this what death is like? It's less painful than I thought it would be. It's almost peaceful.

I let my eyes slowly drift close and allow my mind to go dark. Why fight death? It's inevitable now. I take one last shaky breath, and then my heart stalls.


End file.
